With eye on civic polls, Sena-BJP to light up city

In a last-minute blitz to add some glitz to the city skyline before the civic polls, the Shiv Sena-BJP ruled civic body will undertake a project to illuminate important monuments and sites across the city. The project, titled ‘Lighting Up Mumbai’, will kick off in the last week of December.

In a last-minute blitz to add some glitz to the city skyline before the civic polls, the Shiv Sena-BJP ruled civic body will undertake a project to illuminate important monuments and sites across the city. The project, titled ‘Lighting Up Mumbai’, will kick off in the last week of December.

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The 22 locations chosen for the visual treatment include historic buildings, civic projects, tourist spots like beaches, gardens and also statues of icons relevant to the city.

Places like the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Asiatic Library, Juhu beach, BMC headquarters are some of the spots earmarked for this project. Solar panels and LED lights will be used for the illumination.

Rahul Shewale, chairman of the BMC’s standing committee, said, “Lighting Up Mumbai is a concept focused on celebrating the spirit of Mumbai. It’s being done so that people of Mumbai can take pride in the city.”

Civic officials said all expenditure with regard to equipment as well as electricity would be borne by the agency that will carry out the project and the BMC won’t incur any costs.

Opposition leaders though took a swipe at the Sena-BJP combine, saying it should have given the city development instead of such fancy gimmicks.

“The Sena-BJP are mistaken if they think they can divert the attention of citizens from core issues by doing such fanciful things,” said Congress corporator Rajendra Chaube.